Alton Brown's Beer Cheese Bread

I love Alton Brown, and this bread was easy and delicious!



INGREDIENTS
* Nonstick spray
* 8 ounces all-purpose flour
* 4 ounces whole-wheat flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
* 4 1/2 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
* 12 ounces cold beer, ale or stout
* 1 to 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, optional


INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat the inside of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with the nonstick spray and set aside.

Whisk together the all-purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and dill in a large mixing bowl. Add in the cheese and stir in the beer just to combine. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds, if using.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 210 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Cookie Dough Cuppycakes, Part Deux

I've made cookie dough cupcakes before, but this time I decided to try a different recipe. This recipe was shamelessly stolen from the blog "How to Eat a Cupcake."



I've never made whipped cream frosting before, so I was quite proud that I succeeded in making it without collapsing my whipped cream. The reason these cupcakes are a little uglier than usual is that I wasn't sure that whipped cream frosting could be piped without destroying it.




Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcakes
(Adapted from Chocolate Cupcakes at MarthaStewart.com - makes 12 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS
* 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup cocoa powder
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 large eggs, room temperature
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup whole milk


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or use paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla, and mix until combined.

3. On low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, followed by milk; end with remaining flour mixture. Mix just until incorporated (do not overmix).

4. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Place a ball of frozen cookie dough (I used 1-oz pieces of pre-made, pre-sliced frozen cookie dough) on top of each cup (do not push it in). Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center of a cupcake (but not in the cookie dough) comes out clean, 22 to 24 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



The cupcakes, cooling on my baker's rack.


Cookie Dough Frosting

INGREDIENTS

Eggless cookie dough:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, plus 2 tbsp
4 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup miniature chocolate chips

Whipped Cream Frosting:
3 cups heavy whipping cream
16 oz cream cheese, softened
2.5 cups granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla


INSTRUCTIONS

For the cookie dough, cream the butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add water and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and salt and stir to combine. Stir in 2/3 cup Mini Morsels. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Break dough into 1/4 teaspoon sized chunks and place the chunks on a plate or in a plastic container, separating layers with waxed paper.
Store them in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the frosting, in a medium bowl (a cold bowl with cold beaters) beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat); set aside. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Fold the frozen cookie dough chunks into the frosting and immediately frost the cooled cupcakes.

Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

Someone posted this recipe on LiveJournal, and I just had to try it. It's a Martha Stewart recipe. Martha is my hero, and I don't care who knows it.




INGREDIENTS
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup Dutch cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
* 2 cups sugar, plus more for dipping (the "dipping" sugar should be the raw kind)
* 2 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, 2 cups sugar, and eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients, and combine with mixer on low speed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill until dough is firm, about 1 hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Dip top of each ball into sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until set, about 8 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

(I have nonstick cookie sheets, so I preheated my oven to 325 degrees and I believe the cookies stayed in the oven for 10-11 minutes. Also, I did not use the Silpat baking mats.)

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

I had high hopes for these cupcakes, and I was not disappointed. Please note that the frosting needs to "set" in the fridge for a while, so you'll want to make it first and then bake the cupcakes afterwards. Also, if you're like me and find baking to be easy but cooking to be a bit of a challenge, you may have trouble with the caramel. The first time I tried to make it, I burned it and had to start over. But all's well that ends well.


Salted Caramel Frosting
(adapted from here)

INGREDIENTS
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 8 tablespoons water
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 3 cups confectioners' sugar


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Briefly stir together granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. To avoid weird chunks or crystallization, I recommend that you only stir for a second or two and then just swirl the pan periodically as it's heating to dissolve the sugar.

2. Once the mixture is clear, bring heat to high. Continue cooking, without stirring, until mixture turns dark amber in color. My recipe said it would take about 6 to 7 minutes to get to dark amber, but I think it actually took considerably longer.

2. Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring with a wooden spoon until completely smooth. (NOTE: The last time I made these, I poured the cream and vanilla in very, VERY slowly and stirred with a plastic whisk as I was adding it. I got a lot less chunking that way. Voila, you have caramel! Set aside until cool to the touch, about 25 minutes.

3. Combine butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add confectioners' sugar, and mix until completely incorporated.

4. Turn mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add caramel. Beat frosting on medium-high speed until airy and thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until stiff, about 45 minutes, before using.


Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
(Stolen from Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Guinness Cake recipe)

INGREDIENTS
* 1 cup Guinness stout
* 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
* 3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 2 cups sugar
* 3/8 cup sour cream
* 2 large eggs
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 24-inch muffin pans with paper liners. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.

2. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into cupcake pans (about 2/3 full), and bake until risen and firm.

(Makes 24 cupcakes)

Everything I Need to Know About Life, I Learned From Cupcakes

In most groups of friends, each individual tends to have a specific role. There's the one who is known for kindness, the one people go to when they're in a bind, and the one who can always make you laugh. In my circle of friends, I am known as the one with the cupcakes.

My obsession with cupcakes started out innocently enough. A little over three years ago, a friend gave me some silicone baking cups as part of a wedding shower gift. Although I hadn't baked anything (not even cookies from pre-made dough) since high school, I gave them a try. The next thing I knew, I was hooked. I thought I could keep it under control – after all, it was just a box of cake mix and a can of frosting every now and then, right? Before I knew it I was using a pound of butter a week and everything I owned was covered in white powder.

I realized while my husband and I were scrambling to buy a new house, pack everything up and rent out the old one that baking had become much more than a hobby. It had become part addiction, and part coping skill. And more than that, it had become a great teacher. Here are some of the lessons I have learned from baking, so that you can benefit from my experience.

The first lesson I learned from cupcakes is never to take the easy way out. When I first started making cupcakes, I used mix from a box and frosting that came in a can. The silicone baking cups made them taste a little extra moist, and people loved them. Every time I brought some to a party, everyone told me I made the best cupcakes, which made me feel a little ashamed. Once, someone even asked me for my recipe! Then I made cupcakes from scratch one time. I have never been able to stomach using a mix or canned frosting again. The taste difference is so enormous, I don’t know how anyone could mistake cupcakes from a box for the real thing.

The second lesson is a corollary to the first. Nothing worth having lasts forever, and the best things in life are gone before you know it. Back when I was making boxed cupcakes, I could keep them in the fridge for a week or even longer without a noticeable decline in taste or quality. But a homemade cupcake tastes best for two or three days after baking, at most. After that, it’s more or less inedible.

A third lesson that I have learned from cupcakes is that no matter how much you think you know, you should always keep an open mind. After I’d been making cupcakes for a while, I started browsing the Internet for recipe inspiration. On one website, I found a recipe for French toast cupcakes with bacon. You may be thinking, “Cupcakes with bacon? That’s disgusting!” I know I was. But once I’d seen them, I had to try making them. They turned out to be some of the tastiest cupcakes I’ve ever made. Everyone who tried them seemed to agree. Who knew?

Another thing that cupcakes have taught me is how much you can do with a few basic skills learned well. The first cupcake recipe I made from scratch had a really delicious buttercream frosting that almost everyone loved. I loved it so much that I learned how to use it as a basis for building other frosting recipes, experimenting with a variety of flavors and ratios. I’ve since tried other frosting recipes, and some of them have been great. But when all else fails, I can make almost any flavor of frosting I want without even having to think too hard about it.

Probably the most important lesson I’ve learned from cupcakes is that life truly is what you make of it. One of my favorite resources for new recipes is the Food Network's website. I like this website because not only do I get the benefit of a variety of professional bakers' work, I also get to see how well the recipes have worked for other bakers. Before making any new recipe, I will read the review section to see how it worked for other people. And it's inevitable... no matter how many people have posted raving, 5-star reviews for a recipe, at least one or two unfortunate souls will post, "Worst recipe ever. Didn't work at all."

In baking, there are a lot of reasons that you can fail even if you’re working with a wonderful recipe. Maybe you don't have the proper tools. Your oven might not be calibrated correctly, or perhaps you're using a hand mixer when a stand mixer would be more appropriate. Maybe you didn't follow the directions properly. This is more common than you think - the simple mistake of not letting your butter come to room temperature can completely change your results. It’s also possible to overbeat, underbake, use baking soda instead of baking powder, and the list goes on and on. I once completely destroyed a batch of cupcakes because my oil was too old. It smelled fine in the bottle, but my cupcakes came out tasting like petroleum.

Even if you’re working with the proper tools and the best raw ingredients, many circumstances can affect the outcome of your baking endeavors. If you live at a high altitude, your bake times and the amount of leavening agent you use need to be modified. If you live in an area with high humidity, you need to store your ingredients differently.

I think it’s pretty easy to see how these lessons can be applied to life. There’s no substitute for the good things in life, and when you have them, you never know when they’ll be gone. Don’t be afraid to try new things – you might like them more than you expected. Don’t assume that you have to be the best at everything. A thorough understanding of one or two things can go a long, long way.

Last but not least, if you’re not successful, don’t assume that you never will be. Life is a delicate balance. Sometimes you’re working with the best tools you know to use, but it’s not enough. It’s important to seek guidance from others when your own experience and knowledge aren’t getting you to where you want to be.

For me, cupcake-making (and baking in general) has become more than just a way to pass the time. It’s given me an outlet for some of the stresses of my everyday routine. And more importantly, it’s shown me some interesting truths about life in general. I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about them.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Cocoa Buttercream

I made these cuppycakes the same night that I made the already-posted Red Velvet Cuppycakes. What happened was that I was going on a trip with two friends and asked each one for a request.



Magnolia's Famous Vanilla Cupcakes (with a little help from me)

This has become my default vanilla cupcake recipe. I substitute heavy cream for the milk that the original recipe calls for. This makes the cupcakes nice and moist and a little richer. This time, I only made half a recipe.

1 ½ cups self-rising flour
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or 325 if using nonstick pans). Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk cream and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.


Cocoa Buttercream Frosting

I stole this recipe from here. If you are like me and want tons of frosting per cupcake, you should double the recipe below.

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup milk (plus a few tablespoons to adjust consistency)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat butter and cocoa until smooth, then add sugar 1 cup at a time, beating with each addition. Add milk and vanilla and beat for about 3 minutes.



Here are the cupcakes in one of my cupcake containers.


More cuppycakes!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red velvet is one of my favorite types of cake. Despite what some people may say, it is NOT just a chocolate cake with red food coloring added. I firmly believe that red velvet is a classic example of a whole that is more than the sum of its parts, because seemingly small modifications (adding vinegar and buttermilk) make it much different (to me) from a chocolate cake.

Because I lovelovelove red velvet, I am painstakingly picky about it. As a result, I have always been afraid to attempt baking it myself. However, last week I finally sucked it up and gave it a shot.

I was making these cupcakes for a friend, so I did a trial run first (not pictured). For my trial run, I used this recipe. I chose it because it used a traditional cooked-flour frosting that I was curious to try (even though I was planning to use cream cheese frosting on the final batch, at my friend's request). I loved the frosting (though I think I need to mix the flour and milk together more before cooking next time because there were a few lumps). However, the cupcakes were a little on the dry side.

For my second and final run, I used a recipe adapted from the above recipe and this other recipe. As you can probably tell, the two recipes are very similar, but the first one has more cocoa and uses butter, while the second one has less cocoa and uses oil. I wanted the moistness of an oil cake recipe while keeping the slightly dense texture that comes from using more cocoa.

This second batch came out almost exactly the way I hoped it would. I still think I could increase the amount of cocoa slightly, which I may try next time.

Red Velvet Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 ounces red food coloring
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
Pinch salt
2 eggs (at room temperature)
1 cup buttermilk (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (or 325 degrees if using a nonstick pan).

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

Line two cupcake pans and fill about two-thirds full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.


Cream Cheese Frosting (I made a double recipe)

1 pound cream cheese (I always use it straight from the refrigerator)
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.